Arizona Sun
by whitelights
Summary: Miri loses her whole family after the invasion. When she meets Jamie Stryder things don't seem so bad anymore. T for language, but only cause I'm paranoid.


I missed showers the most. Six years without anyone to talk to, no proper meals, no bed to sleep on, but I missed showers the most. Standing out in the damp forest, in ankle deep mud was a far cry from anything that resembled a shower, and I wondered again how I had managed this long. It had been 7 years, maybe more, since the parasites invaded our planet, and I was ready to call it quits on the whole survival thing. But I always kept going. And now I was outside another house, somewhere in Arizona, on the run.

I had been watching this house for a couple of days, memorizing the times when the souls were gone. It was a couple, living about a mile away from the nearest town, and both left for work every morning at seven and returned at four. I glanced at the sun, which was just peeking over the horizon. It was already getting hot. Any minute now....yes. The couple left the house together, climbing into a silver SUV parked in the driveway. It amazed me how these _aliens _still acted so human...even when they didn't have to anymore. The planet had been taken. For all I knew, I was probably the only human in the country.

I crouched lower in the bushes as the man pulled out of the driveway and turned onto the road. I stayed hidden until I couldn't see the SUV, then carefully emerged from the bushes. There were no houses around, the only way I would be seen would be from a passing car. Confident there was no one around, I shouldered my empty bag and walked to the back door of the house. It opened easily. Now that there were no humans, there were no locked doors, no robberies, no suspicion. I pushed the door open and stepped inside the house, grateful for the air conditioning. I looked around. Food was my priority so I headed to the kitchen.

I knew there was no one in the house, put my heart was still pounding. Being in a house felt dangerous, wrong. I was more at home in forests and caves. How strange. I moved through the house quickly, wanting to be out as soon as possible.

The kitchen was large and stocked with so much food, I couldn't keep myself from drooling a little bit. It had been days since I had eaten, and that had been the last stale crusts of bread from my last raid two weeks ago. My stomach growled as I opened the fridge. I had missed fruit the most so I grabbed a few apples and oranges, stuffing a few grapes in my mouth. I couldn't resist the block of cheese and a pack of cold cut meat. But things in the fridge wouldn't last me long, so I regretfully closed it and turned to the cupboard. Jackpot. I wanted to take it all, but I had to take things that the souls wouldn't miss. Still, I filled my pack with energy bars, crackers, canned soups and beans, canned fruit, and on impulse, a box of chocolate chip cookies as a treat. It would be a while before I would go hungry again. I filled my water bottles in the sink and prepared to leave.

I stepped back outside, and the heat hit me like a wave. I regretfully looked back into the air conditioned house. Aw...what the hell. The souls wouldn't be back for nine hours, and I would only stay awhile. I dropped my pack by the back door and reentered the house. What did I really need? Food had always been number one, but it would be nice to get an extra sweater, maybe some new jeans. The woman had looked about my size.

I crept upstairs into the main bedroom. I sighed wistfully at the sight of the down bed, but passed it and opened the closet. I found a pair of grey sweatpants that were a little baggy, but a decent fit. They would keep me warmer than my torn up jean shorts, and so I slid them on over top. I also grabbed a plain black hoodie stuffed in the back of the closet that I hoped wouldn't be missed. I was about to go back downstairs when I passed the suite bathroom. I flicked on the light switch and stepped inside.

I had almost forgotten what a bathroom had looked like, and I had missed it. There was a large glass steam shower and tiled floor with a big porcelain sink and mirror. It had been months since I had looked in a mirror, not counting the distorted reflections from rivers and puddles. I breathed in and stepped in front of the mirror.

I looked...messy. My long blonde hair was tangled and had bits of leaves in it from sleeping on the ground. My T-shirt was torn, my face was dirty. I leaned closer, brushing some of the mud off my cheek. I was thinner from years living off whatever I could find, but my muscles were more defined. I was small for sixteen...or was it seventeen now? I had lost track of dates ages ago.

Before I the invasion, when I had been ten, I had had chubby cheeks and wide green eyes, looking younger than an average ten year old should. Now I looked tired and any hint of fat was long gone. There was a long jagged scar running across my collarbone from when I had slipped and fell on a rock four years ago. I felt tears pricking at the back of my eyes, so I shook my head and looked away from my reflected face.

I had been nine when I first started noticing the changes in people around me. Mom had always had the exact same eyes as me, green with a dark ring in the middle. But one day when she had come back from work, I noticed mom's eyes had a silver sheen behind the regular green. Confused, I asked my mom about it but she laughed and told me I was imagining things. In the following months, everyone started changing. My sister Molly, who had been 17, normally couldn't go two sentences without saying 'fucking', started talking like a nun. My best friends Sara, Danae and Riley one by one seemed older, calmer, completely different from the wild girls I knew. The only people that remained the same were the twins, Joshua and Carlynn, who were nineteen. I once asked Carlynn if she noticed anything different about mom, but she just pursed her lips and shooed me out of her room. I wasn't sure what was going on, but even at ten, I definitely noticed it. Even now, at sixteen, I always had flashbacks of the times before we had to run.

The reflection of the shower caught my eye and I turned. It was a big glass thing, with a tiled bench and two shower heads. I knew it was a bad idea, but I couldn't help myself. I stripped off my clothes and twisted the steam dial to 5 minutes. I opened the door slowly, and turned the shower on.

The hot water that came out looked like heaven to me. I stepped under the jets and sighed in pleasure. It would be worth getting caught just to have ten minutes under the hot water. I stood for a long time, eyes closed as the steam kicked in and I felt myself relaxing, for the first time in ages. After a few minutes of pure bliss, I opened my eyes and looked around for some soap. There was no soap, but there was a rose-scented body wash, plus some shampoo and conditioner that smelled like strawberries. I took a long time lathering it into my hair, wondering if anything had ever felt this good. After a while, I regretfully turned off the water and wrapped myself in a fluffy white towel hanging beside the shower. The whole bathroom had steamed up, and I was surprised at my own carelessness. If one of the parasites had come home, I wouldn't have heard them. I listened carefully for a minute, but there was only silence in the house.

I dressed quickly and found a brush in the top drawer of the bathroom. I ran it through my hair, and checked my reflection again. The dirt was gone, and my skin was glowing from the steam of the shower. My skin was softer than I ever remembered it being and my hair was finally not greasy. I turned off the light and left the bathroom. There was no sign of disturbance in the house, and it was only eight. I had loads of time. I grabbed a frying pan and fried two eggs, pleased that I remembered how. The hot eggs with toast and orange juice tasted better than anything I ever remembered eating. I felt full for the first time in weeks and I quickly washed the dishes and replaced them in their cupboards.

I stood up and looked around the kitchen. It had been six years since I had eaten my last meal in an actual kitchen but I still remembered it clear as day.

_The plate of chicken was steaming gently in the middle of the table and my stomach let out a loud grumble. My dad, sitting at the head of the table, looked over and laughed as I placed a hand on my stomach. _

"_Getting hungry Miri?"_

_I smiled a bit, but in truth, I was uncomfortable around this man, who used to be my father. I didn't know what he was now but it wasn't the same. Same with Molly, what was up with her? She was actually saying 'please' and 'thank you' now? Even mom was different, not as strict, more mushy. And those silver eyes..._

_At least the twins were the same. Josh and Carlynn were quieter, but I knew that they were the same people they had always been, and it made me feel safe to know that no matter what was happening to the rest of the family, I had them._

_Mom put a plate of steamed broccoli in front of dad and sat at the opposite of the table. Molly and dad made small talk about something at dad's work. Mom cleared her throat._

"_So Carlynn, Joshua, I was wondering if maybe you two would like to drive up to Phoenix with me this weekend? Get some shopping done?" _

_Carlynn and Josh look at each other and then, inexplicably, at me. _

"_Um, that's okay mom, but we were thinking of just chilling this weekend." Josh says, putting his fork down. _

_Mom smiles, but I can tell she is disappointed._

"_Well, that's fine, but let me know if you change your mind." She turns to me._

"_Miri, would you like to come over to the Johnsons with me tonight after you've finished your homework?" _

_I look to Josh, who is staring back at me. As I look at him he shakes his head slightly to each side. I make up some excuse to mom, and I realize then that whatever is going on, Josh and Carlynn know about it._

That night Carlynn had woken me up, covering my mouth when I started to question her. She had whispered to me to get dressed quietly. I had obeyed her instructions without question, as she packed my backpack with my clothes and my toothbrush. She grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the door. I had broken free and returned to my bedside, grabbing a family portrait taken a year before, when everything had still seemed normal. I ran back to her and she picked me up as if I had been five, and not ten. Outside the house, Josh had been waiting in the his truck, suitcases thrown in the back. I knew that I shouldn't talk so I got into the truck silently as Josh started it and pulled out of the driveway. I had looked back at the dark house, somehow knowing I probably wouldn't see it again. We drove for hours up north, stopping only once to get gas. The seekers had started looking for us the next morning.


End file.
